Migration and Climate Change

December 1, 2016
By Raquel Zelaya

1. Migration originates and increases through economic, political and discrimination reasons. It is a growing phenomenon in various parts of the world geography derived from war, hunger and lack of opportunities. It is also relevant in religious persecution that extends dangerously in various forms and attitudes, some personal other institutional; further study is needed for legislation to protect the conscientious objection since there are actions that conflict with the ethical and religious principles versus laws that seek to impose them.

This challenge requires the direct involvement of international entities in charge of immigration issues, but also of governments that apply principles of democracy, human rights, and the dignity of the human person, regardless of their ethnicity, sex, education or culture.

If there is not a prompt humanitarian intervention, we can pride ourselves of the principles we proclaim, but in practice, we will evidence a great gap of consistency. Children, women and elderly people are uprooted from their hometowns, their origin, culture, language and religion alien of conflicts and wars often caused by geopolitical interests, leaving them in abandonment and neglect.

2- Climate change and its effects, is a reality that is imposed over ideological differences. On large extensions of the planet, there is suffering from various sources due to abrupt changes in the natural phenomena, all agree that the challenge of change in the medium term, relies on our patterns of production and consumption.

Countries that practice personal and social austerity  , permanent care of nature as a common good of society, have  a travelled road that must be considered as a reference.  Change of our consumption patterns will be a difficult process that will awaken indifference in many sectors of society, but in youth, the topic has had an increasing rate of appropriation, expressed in the criticism of the ostentation, luxury consumption and lack of solidarity.

New attitudes arise towards the protection of natural resources, especially the non-renewable, in the interests of a rational use of the fruits of the earth, and to partially mitigate the effects of nature that demand its neglect through floods, droughts, earthquakes and famines. We still on time for changes in the ways people consume and behave toward the land, water and air and its resources.

This article is a part of 'Big Questions of Our Time - The World Speaks'. To download the full publication, click here

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